Extendable handle carton



Sept. 1, 1964 J. VESAK 3,146,937

EXTENDABLE HANDLE CARTON v FiledDec. 15, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 33"ill/111111111111 7 J05 EPH VESAK WMW Ayen'l United States Patent3,146,937 EXTENDABLE HANDLE CARTON Joseph Vesair, Richmond, BritishColumbia, Canada,

assignor to Crown Zellerhach Canada Limited, Vancouver, BritishCoiumbia, Canada, a corporation of British Columbia Filed Dec. 13, 1962,Ser. No. 244,444 8 (Ilairns. (Cl. 229-52) This invention relates toboxes or cartons and more particularly to cartons having extendablehandles whereby the handles are initially recessed within the carton forconvenience in stacking, storage and shipment and thereafter may beextended to provide convenient handle carrying means.

The invention as herein disclosed is embodied in a carton formed from afoldable blank such as corrugated fibreboard. It is, of course, wellknown to provide handles in fibreboard cartons and such handles havebeen used in a construction whereby they may be recessed within thecarton and wthdrawn for usage in carrying the same. Handles having thischaracteristic necessarily require a compromise between providingmaximum convenience for the user and at the same time minimizing extraexpense in the materials or excessive operations or manipulationsrequired in the manufacture or assembly thereof. The present inventionis noteworthy in the degree of success in the compromise of thesecontradicting factors. The present invention provides an extendablehandle carton which exhibits heretofore unrealized economies inmanufacture and in materials required and yet the handle member may bereadily separated from its recessed condition and extended outwardlyfrom the carton top closure to provide convenient carrying means.

The invention is capable of embodiment in conventional carton designshaving tubularly arranged foldably connected walls and hinged topclosure flaps or flanges. Further, the invention is particularlysusceptible to embodiment in cartons for bottled beverages and the likewherein partitions or cell dividers may be included in the cartonwithout interfering with the extendable handle, thus providing a cartonof unusual simplicity and convenience.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out inthe claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes inthe form, proportions and minor details of construction, within thescope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spiritor sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a carton blank;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a handle member;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a section of a composite blank including thehandle member secured to the carton blank;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of an erected car-ton with the handlemember recessed within the confines of the carton;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view, in section, cut away to show thedisposition of the handle member within the carton and securing means;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the erected carton with the handledevice extended to carrying position;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view through line 7-7 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a carton with the handle deviceextended and the top closure of the carton opened for access to thecontents thereof;

ice

FIGURE 9 is a sectional plan view of a carton blank showing anembodiment of the separable wall portion.

The extendable handle carton invention may be embodied in a conventionalslotted carton as shown in FIG- URE 4. The carton comprises uprightwalls in connected together tubular relation and closure flaps. Duringthe interval of storage or shipment of such a carton the extendablehandle is recessed in secured relation to interior portions of thecarton whereby it is maintained free of damage or interference withordinary handling of the carton as in stacking, trucking, conveying andthe like.

The carton illustrated is formed from a foldable sheet of material shownin plan view in FIGURE 1, designated generally as 19, wherein cut edgesare shown as solid lines and lines of scoring or hinge connections areshown as intermittent lines as are lines of Weakness which are severedin part. The carton blank described in terms applicable to the set-upcarton includes upright walls 20-23 Which are connected together by thecorner hinge connections 24. A corner connecting flap 25 may beconnected along one vertical edge of the blank substantially coterminouswith the wall panels. The top and bottom edges of the wall panels aredetermined by top flap score 26 and bottom flap score 27 which serve asthe hinge connection of the closure flaps to the respective top andbottom edges of the wall panels. The top closure flaps are indicatedgenerally at 28 and the bottom closure flaps at 29. In each case theyare separated by slots 30.

One wall panel 21 and the associated one top flap or flaps 31 includesspecial provision for the extendable handle. The special provisionincludes an elongated slot 32 disposed in substantial alignment with thehinge connection 26 but of a determined length whereby it is terminatedshort of the side edges of the panel, leaving hinge connection portions33 adjacent each end. The elongated slot may alternatively be disposedon either side of the line of the top flap score 26 or preferablyastride the same whereby it may extend into the one wall panel 21 andflange 31 as convenience dictates depending on the thickness andcharacter of the foldable blank material.

The one wall panel 21 is further provided with a separable portion 34adjacent the elongated slot 32. The separable portion is defined at itsside edges by lines of weakness 35 which are severed in part as forexample by perforating or cut scoring. The bottom edge of the separableportion is defined by a gripping tab 36 score line 37. The gripping tab36 is defined by a free edge 38 whereby it is preferably substantiallyentirely separated from the one wall panel 21 by the line of out havinga confirmation which will permit the insertion of a finger or fingers tograsp the severable portion 34- and permit the separation of the samefrom the one wall panel 21.

The extendable handle indicated generally at 40 FIG- URE 2 comprises anelongated support bar 41 which has a horizontal length dimensionextending between the end edges 42 preferably substantially conformingto the Width of the one wall panel 21. The vertical height of thesupport bar extending between the upper edge 43 and lower edge 44 willgenerally be less than the interior height of the one wall panel 21. Anextending gripping portion 45 extends vertically upwardly from thesupport bar upper edge 43 medially of its length. The gripping portion45 is comprised of upright end portions 46 and a handle bar 47 eachhaving an internal edge 48 defining a handhole 49. The handle bar 47 hasan upper edge 50. A notch retaining means 51 is provided in the base ofthe upright end portions 46 at the juncture with the support bar upperedge 43.

A composite blank indicated generally at 53 in FIG- URE 3 is comprisedof the container blank 19 and extendable handle 40. The extendablehandle 40 is disposed on the container blank on the one wall panel 21interior amass? surface so that the handle bar upper edge 50 is centeredbeneath the elongated slot 32 and adjacent or slightly spaced therefrom.The handle bar 47 is in juxtaposition to the separable portion 34 of thecontainer blank and the handhole 49 is in alignment with the grippingtab 36 whereby the gripping tab may pass through the handhole as will behereinafter described.

FIGURE 4 shows an erected carton formed from the composite blank 47 ofFIGURE 3. In erecting the carton the remote panels of the blank and 23are infolded to bring the corner connecting flap 25 into overlappingrelation with the remote panel 23 side margin, whereby they may besecured together by conventional means. The carton may then be extendedto tubular wall relation, as shown, and the top and bottom closure flaps28 and 29 infolded and sealed to complete the erection of the carton. Inthis condition, the carton is in effect quite conventional as regard itshandling and stacking qualities, there being no extending protuberancesin connection with the extendable handle 40 which might be damaged orinterfere with stacking or conveying of the same.

The erected carton is shown cut away in FIGURE 5 to clearly illustratethe disposition of the extendable handle 40 within the confines of thecarton. The handle bar 47 is adhesively or otherwise secured to theseparable por tion 34 of the carton one wall panel 21, which securementmeans 54 is represented by stipuling in the drawing. The securing means54 insures the permanent disposition of the handle within the carton ina position whereby it is readily accessible for extension externally ofthe carton for carrying purposes.

To extend the handle outwardly of the carton into carrying position asshown in FIGURE 6 the fingers are inserted through the gripping tab 36and handhole 49 whereby the carton separable portion 34 and the handlebar 47 may be grasped. A lifting of twisting force will then sever thelines of weakness of the separable portion 34 and the handle extendinggripping portion 45 projected upwardly through the elongated slot 32until the support bar upper edge 43 comes into abutting relation withthe bearing surfaces constituted by the hinge connection portion 33 andadjacent one wall and flap portions 21 and 31. In this position thenotch retaining means 51 prevent dislodgement of the extendable handle40 by their engagements with the end edges of the elongated slot 32.

The abutting relation of the support bar upper edge 43 with the bearingsurface at and adjacent the hinge connection portions 33 is best shownin the cross sectional view, FIGURE 7, taken along the line 77 of FIG-URE 6.

In many cases it is desirable to have continued effective carrying meansfor a carton after the top closure is opened for access to the contents.This is true, for example, when the carton is used for bottled beverageswhereby the bottles may be replaced in the carton for return of thesame. It has been found that the present invention affords entirelysatisfactory operation in this condition as illustrated in FIGURE 8wherein the one top closure flap 31 is in free swinging hinge connectionto the one wall panel 21. It has been found that the confines of theelongated slot 32 engaging the extending gripping portion 45 of thehandle retains the support bar upper edge 37 into abutting relation withthe bearing surfaces 33 as hereinbefore described.

A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGURE 9 showinga section of a carton blank in cluding a modification of the separableportion denoted 56 and gripping tab 57. This construction has in commonwith the first described embodiment that the gripping tab 57 is inadjacent cooperating relation with the separable portion 56 disposed inthe one wall panel 21. However, in this instance the gripping tab 57 isdisposed in the one top flap 31 whereby the elongated slot 32 isinitially interrupted medially of its length by the gripping tab 57.

In the operation of this embodiment, to extend the handle, the grippingtab 57 is pushed inwardly about the score 58 to separate the same alongthe partially severed line of weakness 59 from the one top flap 31whereby the separable portion 56 and handle bar 39, not shown, may begrasped for the purpose of projecting the extendable handle 40 intocarrying position. In the carrying position of the handle it willoperate fully and in the same manner as described in connection with thefirst embodiment of the invention.

The lines of weakness herein described in connection with the one wallseparable portions and gripping tabs are generally severed in part as byan interrupted line of cut or perforations or a so-called cut scorewhich is a substantially continuous line of cut but extending only partway through the container board material forming the foldable blank.Further, it is within the purview of the invention that either theseparable portion or the gripping tab may be completely severed yetretained in position by the partial connection of the alternate portionto the container blank.

It is to be understood that the embodiments herein described areillustrative and not restrictive, and it is also to be understood thatthe invention may be susceptible to embodiment in other modified forms,and that all such modifications which are similar to or equivalenthereto come equally with'm the scope of the claims next appearing.

In the claims:

1. A carton having tubularly arranged wall panels and at least one topfiap having a hinge connection to one wall panel and an extendablehandle: the carton having an elongated slot substantially in alignmentwith said hinge connection, the slot terminating short of the ends ofthe hinge connection to provide handle bearing surfaces at each end, theextendable handle disposed within the carton adjacent the one wall paneland comprising a support bar and an extending gripping portionintermediate the ends of the support bar, a separable portion of saidone wall of the carton adjacent the elongated slot determined by linesof weakness, means securing the extendable handle in flatwise relationto said separable portion, the gripping portion of the extendable handleadapted to be projected through the elongated slot upon separating theseparable portion of the carton wall.

2. The carton as claimed in claim 1 including a retaining means in theextendable handle comprising a notch in the extending gripping portionadapted to engage the ends of the elongated slot when the handle is inextended condition.

3. The carton as claimed in claim 2 further provided with a gripping tabadjacent to the separable portion, the gripping tab being determined byseparable lines of weakness whereby it may be depressed inwardly of thecarton to facilitate grasping the separable portion of the carton walland the subjacent gripping portion of the handle to extend the same intocarrying position.

4. A carton of tubularly arranged wall panels and a top closureincluding at least one top closure flap having a hinge connection to onewall panel and an extendable handle: the carton having an elongated slotsubstantially in alignment with said hinge connection and extending onat least one side thereof, the slot terminating short of the ends of thehinge connection to provide handle bearing surfaces at each end, theextendable handle disposed within the carton adjacent the one wall paneland comprising a support bar and an extension intermediate the ends ofthe support bar adapted to project through the elongated slot, theextension having a handhole therein, the carton one wall panel havingmeans providing access from the exterior of the carton to the interiorlydisposed handle for gripping the same, 21 separable portion of the onewall panel adjacent the elongated slot, the handle being secured to saidseparable portion, whereby the extendable handle extension may beprojected through the elongated opening upon separating the separableportion.

5. A composite blank for an extendable handle carton comprising afoldable blank and a handle member secured in fl-atwise relationthereto, the foldable blank including wall panels in foldably connectedrelation, a top flange having a fold connection to an upper edge of atleast one of said wall panels, an elongated slot substantially inalignment with the top flange fold connection, the slot terminatingshort of the ends of the fold connection to provide handle bearingsurfaces, a separable portion in the said one wall panel adjacent theelongated slot, a handle member in secured relation to the foldableblank and comprising a support bar and an extending gripping portionintermediate the ends of the support bar, the extending gripping portionincluding upright end portions and a handle bar determining a handholetherein, the handle bar secured in fixed relation to the separable wallportion with the upper edge thereof adjacent the elongated slot 6. Thecomposite blank as claimed in claim 5 wherein the separable portion isdefined in the one wall panel by lines of weakness, the lines ofweakness being severed in part.

7. The composite blank as claimed in claim 6 wherein the foldable blankincludes a gripping tab in hinged re- 6 lation to the separable portion,the gripping tab being separable from the foldable blank and in alignedrelation to the handle member handhole.

8. A composite blank for an extendable handle carton comprising afoldable blank and a handle member secured in fiatwise relation thereto,the foldable blank including panels in foldably connected side-by-siderelation, a top flange having a fold connection to an upper edge of oneof said panels, an elongated slot substantially in alignment with thetop flange fold connection, the slot terminating short of the ends ofthe fold connection to provide handle bearing surfaces, -a separableportion in the said one panel adjacent the elongated slot, a handlemember in secured relation to the foldable blank and comprising asupport bar and an extending gripping portion intermediate the ends ofthe support bar, the extending gripping portion including upright endportions and a handle bar determining a handhole therein, the handle barsecured in fixed relation to the separable wall portion with the upperedge thereof adjacent the elongated slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,700,486 Arneson Ian. 25, 1955 2,850,206 Pasjack Sept. 2, 19583,005,546 Sanford Oct. 24, 1961 3,034,682 Curran May 15, 1962

1. A CARTON HAVING TUBULARLY ARRANGED WALL PANELS AND AT LEAST ONE TOP FLAP HAVING A HINGE CONNECTION TO ONE WALL PANEL AND AN EXTENDABLE HANDLE: THE CARTON HAVING AN ELONGATED SLOT SUBSTANTIALLY IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID HINGE CONNECTION, THE SLOT TERMINATING SHORT OF THE ENDS OF THE HINGE CONNECTION TO PROVIDE HANDLE BEARING SURFACES AT EACH END, THE EXTENDABLE HANDLE DISPOSED WITHIN THE CARTON ADJACENT THE ONE WALL PANEL AND COMPRISING A SUPPORT BAR AND AN EXTENDING GRIPPING PORTION INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE SUPPORT BAR, A SEPARABLE PORTION OF SAID ONE WALL OF THE CARTON ADJACENT THE ELONGATED SLOT DETERMINED BY LINES OF WEAKNESS, MEANS SECURING THE EXTENDABLE HANDLE IN FLATWISE RELATION TO SAID SEPARABLE PORTION, THE GRIPPING PORTION OF THE EXTENDABLE HANDLE ADAPTED TO BE PROJECTED THROUGH THE ELONGATED SLOT UPON SEPARATING THE SEPARABLE PORTION OF THE CARTON WALL. 